The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, June 28TH., 1913. HOSPITAL EXPENDITURE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1115, 28 June 1913, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, June 28TH., 1913. HOSPITAL EXPENDITURE.

The motion passed by the local Borough Council at its last meeting protesting against any increased expenditure on the part of the district hospital and charitable aid authorities, when read at the last Board meeting, was received with a certain amounc of surprise by the Chairman and members. The Chairman facetiously remarked that Foxton, of all the contributing bodies, should be the last to complain in view of the benefits conferred for the small assessment levied. Mr Hornblow, the local representative, endeavoured to explain that the F'oxton Council were alarmed at the general increase in hospital and charitable aid levies throughout the Dominion. In order to enlighten Foxton as to the actual position of affairs so far as it is concerned with hospital expenditure, he asked for a return, showing the amount levied, patients received into the institution, charitable aid dispensed, and amount recovered from patients. The return has come to hand for the year ended March 31st of this year. The levy paid by Foxton was 16s 4d. The number of patients received from Foxton was 36 ; amount of fees paid by patients 15s 6d; charitable aid expenditure £6O 3s 8d ; hospital fees outstanding for the year, the greater portion of which are absolutely unrecoverable, ,£209 15s 6d. From the above it will be seen that Foxton’s benefits are greatly in excess of its proportional allocation. It must be remembered that Foxton is an in-: dustrial centre, and as a consequence sends a larger percentage of patients in proportion to its population than other parts of the district without any increase of levy—-which is based on its valuation. It may be agreed that more fees should be squeezed out of the patients. Those who can pay are not allowed to dodge their

responsibility, but a large percentage cannot, and have no hope of paying. The district hospital is recognised as one of the most economically administered and efficient institutions in the Dominion, and every item of expenditure is subjected to the closest scrutiny—in fact, the policy of caution in the past has been, if anything carried a little too far for such a growing institution.